Conventional interactive voice response systems (IVR) provide audio prompts that assist a caller in navigating through a menu that provides various options. For example, an IVR application may provide a first audio prompt that lists a number of services available via the IVR application. The prompt may be a pre-recorded audio message that requests that the caller voice a selection from a number of options. Based on the caller's selection, the IVR application may provide additional prompts to help the caller in obtaining and/or requesting the desired information.
In many IVR applications, a large number of prompts may be required before the caller is able to ultimately receive or request the desired information. Generating the appropriate dialog for these prompts, recording the actual audio prompts and then inserting the audio prompts into the IVR application at the appropriate locations is a difficult and time consuming task.
In addition, testing a complex IVR application with a large number of prompts to ensure that the recorded audio files accurately mirror the prepared dialog is also time consuming. For example, as applications evolve, the dialog for the prompts often changes. Each time a change occurs, the IVR application must be re-tested to ensure that the desired wording or dialog of the recorded audio file is correct and that the audio file is inserted into the IVR application at the appropriate location. Due to frequent changes in many IVR applications, which result in new prompts, modified prompts and new locations for prompts, it is often difficult for a party responsible for testing the IVR application to verify the accuracy of the IVR application.